INSIDE THE BULLS.

No More Baby-sitting For Haley

October 16, 1996|By Terry Armour, Tribune Staff Writer.

Jack Haley returned to Chicago on Tuesday with somewhat of a sour taste in his mouth.

Haley spent last season living down his reputation as Dennis Rodman's baby-sitter. This season, he's trying to catch on as the No. 2 center with the Milwaukee Bucks, who played the Bulls at the United Center on Tuesday.

Haley said this is probably the most important season of his NBA career. He spent most of last season on the Bulls' injured list with a bum knee, playing just five minutes in the last regular-season game. He already has played double those minutes in four preseason games with the Bucks, backing up Andrew Lang.

Haley received a smattering of applause and some boos when he entered Tuesday's game.

"I have an opportunity to remind the people in the NBA that Jack Haley is an NBA player," Haley said. "I never was anybody's baby-sitter and I tried to make that clear last year. Playing in Chicago was a great experience for me, but the perception put out there by the media and the fans as a baby-sitter was unfair."

Adventures in baby-sitting: Speaking of baby-sitting, Michael Jordan prefers the word "chaperones" when he speaks of keeping an eye on Rodman, who on Saturday was tossed from the Bulls' exhibition game against the Seattle SuperSonics in Las Vegas.

But Jordan added Rodman needs to keep himself in check.

"Dennis is Dennis and it's going to be a tough task trying to control him again this year," Jordan said. "It's all up to him to be motivated to fit within the system. If he wants to be separate of the system, then it's going to be a tough year."

What can the Bulls do?

"We as a team have to, at certain times, get in between him and the referee and tell him to cool out," Jordan said. "Tell him to calm down and get back focused on the game. We're all like chaperones in a sense."

The league hasn't fined Rodman yet, but Jordan said he expects it to happen.

"I'm sure the league is going to look at it and try to make a statement early so they can control him throughout the year," Jordan said. "He knows that. If he doesn't, he should."

Beck and call: Corey Beck, a rookie free agent out of Arkansas, had a strong debut off the bench in the team's first exhibition game. He didn't play as well in Game 2.

Beck, a 6-foot-3-inch point guard, is taking it in stride.

"I'm doing OK," Beck said. "I'm not at the point I want to be, but I'm playing great defense. I just have to start knocking down some of my shots."

Beck said playing with Jordan in the backcourt during stretches has made things easier.

"That just gives you all the confidence in the world," Beck said. "You know if you gamble and go after the ball, he's always there to pick you up if you make a mistake. He makes the game a whole lot easier."